We filmed a lot of footage as we wanted to film every scene from different angle to ensure that every scene would be captured in the best possible way. We experimented using different shots, angles and mise en scene. After filming we had to edit our footage to ensure that it was continious and of a high quality. We therefore uploaded the video onto Imovie and spent about 10 days edditing it and adding special effects and features.
Throughout the trailer we used a variety of transitions including fade to white/black, dissolve and cross dissolve. This made our trailer continuous and smooth. This was also done through using quick cuts, which would engage the audience and make the trailer more dynamic and fast paced. This increased the horror atmosphere as short, quick cuts are associated with danger as well as not giving away the whole story so the audience would be intrigued to watch the film.
For the part where Kenny is watching Ash and taking her pictures in the car park, we added the Black and White effect, this made it different from the whole trailer, which was the only point of view shot. This point of view shot is very interesting because b/w effect creates realism and the illusion that the audience see through Kenny's eyes.
We used different video effects including the 'romantic' filter to make the film look professionally done. For example we used the romantic filter when Kenny attacked Troy int he forest. The filter made the scene look like in slow motion mode, where shadows were highlighted and color was desaturated.
One way in which we have challenged the connotations of horror films is the scary close up of Kenny with the blood and make up which appears numerous times throughout the trailer. This is a constant reminder that something bad will happen and highlights Kenny's creepy personality. However, the other half is not visible to stays a mystery for the audience to discover his darker side throughout the film. This connotes that Kenny has a dangerous split personality. As the image appears at random times it creates tension and suspense as the viewer expects to see it again and again, which was our initial objective. Using still images in video trailers is something very unusual and atypical for horror productions.
We included texts giving hints on what the film is about without fully giving it away. We used the words "Love" to symbolize Troy and Ash's love for one another which something bad happens to. "Obsession" which is Kenny's role as he loves Ash so much and wants her so badly he gradually becomes obsessed with her. "Regrets" by the end of it Ash regrets being the popular ignorant girl she was, Troy also regrets punching him which triggered Kenny's rage and anger to follow them to the forest. The final word was "Revenge" this is directed to Ash getting her revenge on Troy as he betrayed her and gave her away to save his own life and killing Kenny who ruined her life. The text at the end saying "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" is a phrase which is simple yet so strong and very meaningful and almost the moral of our film. This powerful statement is very typical for horror film which shows how we have used horror conventions of other media texts..
For all the spoken parts in the trailer we recorded a voice-over using Imovie application. We did this because the spoken parts were very unclear when filming. We decided to records them again as well as record the narrative voice which reads out the text as well as the final statement. This is another way in which we have used horror film conventions because a narrative voice is quite typical for horror texts.
One of the most important element of the trailer is the music. We spent a long time traying to get the right music for our trailer which would reflect the story as well as direct to our chosen demographic. We needed a track which was high pitched, dynamic and scary as well as modern and fresh as the film is about young people. We found a remix of the Halloween soundtrack which was horror classical music mixed with R&B motifs.We also used other tunes for the film such as the song in the begging which is melodic, lyric and melancholic. This song is not that scary because its the opening music track which is supposed to engage the viewer not scare him/her. We also done the same for some of the sound effects, for example, the stabbing, scream, rain and thunder, camera shutter sounds. Most of the music we got from youtube using youtube converter website to download the mp3 and insert it onto Imovie. We spent a long time editing the music as well as cropping some selections so that the music is synchronous with the trailer scenes.Overall, the music we have used is typical for horror films with the exception that we have used multiple tracks and sound effects instead of one long song, which indicates that we have developed the conventions of horror trailers.
I am pleased with the trailer because it looks attractive, scary and mysterious which is very important for horror films. We included a variety of shots and different formats such as text, backgraund images, music and special effects. The trailer is very effective and reflect our initial idea about the movie. It works well in attracting and engaging our demographic as well as not giving away the whole story so that people would want to watch it. Throughout its production i developed various skills such as creativity, organization, team work and technical skills. I think this was a rewarding and enjoyable experience which was so valuable for me and my studies.
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